Sultana Tafadar, the first hijab-wearing criminal barrister, was appointed as counselor to Queen Elizabeth II of England, one of the highest positions a lawyer can hold in England, for those who showed "excellence in advocacy." During a ceremony conducted at Westminster Palace near the Buckingham Palace to commemorate her "taking the silk" — an euphemism for her designation in the Quality Control Center in English courts. The high-ranking lawyer was born in Luton, England, according to the British Daily Mail website, and her roots are from Bangladesh. Tafadar confirmed that she could not believe what she had achieved, and that everything was a surreal experience. "I'm absolutely delighted, especially as the first hijab-wearing barrister to have been admitted at the criminal bar." She said, "Representation is really important." She added to her wish for hijab-wearing girls to realize their dreams after her dream has become a reality. She described the challenge faced by other veiled women across Europe as sad. "There are women across Europe and particularly in France who are facing discrimination because they wear the hijab," she added. "France wants to impose various forms of hijab bans and that amounts to sex discrimination, race discrimination and religious discrimination." She further explains, "It's sad on a day like this and I'm celebrating taking the silk wearing the hijab that others across Europe are denied those opportunities that I've had." A London General Council report on race found that prior to Tafadar's appointment, only 31 women of black, Asian or mixed ethnicity out of nearly 2,000 received quality control. "In terms of hijab-wearing barristers that are Queen's Counsel, there's only ever been two and I'm the first at the criminal bar," she added. Shaheed Fatima of Blackstone Chambers in London, who was promoted to the title in 2016, was the first hijab-wearing lawyer to take the silk. Tafadar earned a Master of Law in human rights from University College London. She used to be asked if she was the interpreter while at court when she started. She also holds an Oxford University master's degree in international human rights. "Unfortunately, it is layers and layers of challenges that I face, as a woman, as somebody from an ethnic minority background and as somebody who's visibly hijab-wearing." "There have been challenges in court, there have been challenges in the workplace in my previous chambers, but I'm glad to say that it is possible to overcome those challenges and it is possible — having the opportunities — it is possible to shine." Currently Tafadar is trying legally to end France's headscarf ban, and this year she will argue before the United Nations that the French government is breaking international law. "Diversity that embraces lawyers from different racial, ethnic and gender backgrounds, is to be welcomed and championed if the criminal bar is to continue to better reflect the public we serve as prosecutors and defenders," said Jo Sidhu QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association. In May 2020, Raffia Arshad became the first hijabi woman to be appointed as a judge. — Agencies
